You probably remember the album titled "Sounds of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel that was released in January 1966, but I like to listen to my own sounds of silence.  I enjoy sitting outside, closing my eyes, and just listening.

In the quiet, I hear cars running along the nearby road, whistles blowing from the distant train, leaves rustling from the wind, water splashing in the fountain, melodies emitted from the wind chime, birds chirping among themselves, mowers humming in the neighborhood, air conditioners buzzing close by, jet planes roaring by that make me daydream of the places they are going or where they have been.

God's work, God's creation, all around me.  Such are the sounds of silence.  An oxymoron indeed.

"But the LORD is in his holy temple; silence before him, all the earth!" - Habakkuk 2:20

"Jacob, however, got some fresh shoots of poplar, almond and plane trees, and he peeled white stripes in them by laying bare the white core of the shoots." - Genesis 30:37

There's a sycamore tree behind our house.  Every year around this time it pops its bark off.  You hear crackling, a pop, and then find sheets of bark lying on the ground.

Wouldn't that be great if we could "pop off" our bad parts every year?  Starting fresh every year or so would be awesome.

Oh wait, we can, and we can even do it more frequently than once a year.  We have the Sacrament of Confession which continually gives us a chance for a fresh start.

Dear God, lead me to your confessional so that I can "pop off the bark" which no longer needs to be carried around, and lay bare the core of my being.  Amen.

"... They were holding God’s harps, and they sang the song of Moses ..." - Revelation 15:2-3

I caught a glimpse of this wind chime dancing against the swirling clouds in the sky and it took my breath away.

If you stare long enough at this image, I am sure you, too, will hear the melodious voice of the angels and the lyrical sound of the harps being played through the movements of the chime.

May my life be like a harp finely tuned by God; may the wind be the Holy Spirit blowing across a life tuned in with God; and together, let us create a melody that sounds like the very melody of Angels.  Amen.

"Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  Then they abandoned their nets and followed him." - Mark 1:17-18

We needed a new garden hose, so he went to the store to buy one.  "There were so many to choose from," he stated when he returned home, "but I chose this one because it must be a best seller since there were so many of them at the store."

After setting it up and using it once or twice, I soon learned why there were so many of them at the store.  It was not because it was a "best seller"; it was because nobody was buying them!  The hose was the stiffest, hardest, most difficult and inflexible object to use.

But we found a way to take the inflexible and make it flexible: an auto-winding hose reel.  By making a few changes in order to work with the hose's limitations, this negative situation was turned into a positive one.

How flexible are you?  Do you fight for your way, or do you adapt to the circumstances around you?  Are you willing to bend, or are you "stiff" like this garden hose?

O God, help me to see that my plans and my ways are not autonomous, but if I trust in You and go with Your flow, You will lead me to make the most of  every opportunity and relationship.  Amen.

Happy Birthday!  Our blog is one year old.  It has been a year since we embarked on a journey to share stories, prayers, inspirations, and reflections.  We endeavored to dream, learn and soar.  We aimed to be "looking at little life moments with a spiritual eye".

Hopefully there was at least one post that touched you or encouraged you.  What an adventure!  Here's to another year ... let the adventure continue!  Thanks for joining us.